PADRE'S DIARY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 87, 27 January 1947, Page 5

PADRE'S DIARY

EXPERIENCE AS PRISONER OF WAR

BOOK RETURNED BY . ITALIAN

The Rev. Edwin Broomhead, of Mitcham, South Australia, recentlypublished a book, “Barbed Wire in the Sunset.” It was based on his experiences of 25 months in German and Italian prisoner of war camps. He w T rote from memory, but regrets now that he had not waited a little longer, for recently by post came the diary he had kept at great risk during the whole of his captivity, and which he had been forced to abandon in Italy when he was repatriated in 1943. Mr Broomhead was captured in the Middle East and was passed from one prison camp to another. From the first day he kept a diary, burying it outside the entrance to his hut day by day and recovering it at night to make entries. The traffic of the other prisoners in and out of the hut obliterated evidence of disturbed earth. Once Rommel visited the camp at Tripoli, Libya, and stood on the ground where the diary was hidden. When the pages of the first book were filled Mr Broomhead used children’s exercise books cut in two. Moved to another camp, he put the diary inside his sock and marched a mile and a half before being transferred to a truck. Had he marched the whole 14 miles the diary would have been ruined. At times he was tempted to destroy- the diary because of the dangerous material in it, and the frequency of searches. While in an Italian camp he got to know the commanding officer. One day the officer asked Mr Broomhead if there was anything he could do for him. Mr Broomhead confided that he was keeping a diary. The Italian smiled and offered to keep it in his office while searches were being made.

In April, 1943, Mr Broomhead was to be repatriated. He gave the diary to his Italian friend and kept only a few sheets, which he managed to smuggle out for the Atrocities Commission.

Back in Australia, Mr Broomhead gave up the diary as lost, and settled down to write his book. When the book was published he posted a copy to the Italian commander. In return he received a letter of acknowledgment and the diary. The Italian explained that the Germans had taken reprisals after the Italian surrender and he had lost most of his -belongings.